Audio of James Joyce Reading

You’ve read his novels and short stories. His words close in around your ears, a ripe cacophony of emotions and thoughts. But what do they sound like, what does Joyce reading his work sound like? Well, now you know. Enjoy your Bloomsday with this rare audio recording of James Joyce.

Tuesday’s Literary Briefing is a cornucopia of information. Oxford has joined with Abu Dhabi to support Arabic literature. Satchel Paige was guilty of hyperbole, but it turns out he was not exaggerating. Two followups from last week: the latest object of Salinger’s wrath is revealed and a poll from the New Yorker revisits opinions on creative writing programs. Which naturally leads us to transitive relation and mathematics. If there are writing programs, then there are more writers being produced. More writers means more competition for publishing deals, essays, etc. So we have a glut of bitterness, which might just be the newest mental disorder. For the record, it is only a coincidence that our DSM acronym is the same as the one for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. But we digress, and cross into the forays of the bedroom, as Richard Bernstein reveals Henry de Montherlant’s Algerian pederasty. An interview with Zak Smith, the porn artist and Pynchon illustrator, keeps us in the bedroom. And finally, the President’s half brother, George (no, not that one), has a book deal and Joyce enthusiasts celebrate Bloomsday. — Andrew Geer

(more…)